


Adopted

by SlipScout



Series: Epithet Erased Zine Pieces [1]
Category: Epithet Erased (Cartoon)
Genre: (by a family of bears), Big Brother Giovanni, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Molly Blyndeff gets adopted, Molly Blyndeff-centric, eezine, epithet erased zine, yknow just a little fluff. As a treat.
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-29
Updated: 2020-06-28
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:48:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,829
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24971830
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SlipScout/pseuds/SlipScout
Summary: Molly wasn’t sure if this camping trip was as ‘evil’ as  it was bonding-time, but she REALLY didn’t want to become the newest family member of a furry, fuzzy, smelly group of bears.My piece for the Epithet Erazed Zine(eezine)!
Relationships: Giovanni Potage & The Banzai Blasters, Molly Blyndeff & Giovanni Potage
Series: Epithet Erased Zine Pieces [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1807480
Comments: 4
Kudos: 55





	Adopted

**Author's Note:**

> Wow!!! I’m glad I can finally post this! It was a tonne of fun to work on the zine, and I hope you all enjoy!

Molly rubbed her eyes, watching Giovanni and the rest of the Banzai Blasters set up their tents. Most of them were finishing up, while the others unpacked the rest of their campsite.

Only hours earlier, she’d been rudely awoken by Giovanni blasting her phone with texts. Once she was coherent enough to pick up the phone after his barrage, he squawked at her to meet him outside the toy emporium with ‘sleepover clothes’ and any games she could snag.

Twenty minutes later, he ushered her into a dented truck, waving aside any questions of what he was planning. It didn’t help Molly’s concerns when Giovanni gathered the rest of the Banzai Blasters and drove them an hour outside of Sweet Jazz City. 

(Car Crash was actually driving, while the rest of them sat in the bed of the truck, makeshift seatbelts strapped around their laps. They were nervous, needless to say.)

Spike was the only one who offered an explanation to Molly: every month, Giovanni and his boys would pool their money together and rent a campsite for the weekend. Of course, it was under the guise of villainy.

“We’ll roast marshmallows and _burn them!_ Only _supervillains_ do that!” Giovanni exclaimed, striking a pose.

They reached their campground and set up their individual tents—which had been customized to their individual themes. Molly’s tent, she was delighted to say, was a lovely shade of green. Two knitted bear ears adorned the entrance flap with a stripe of yellow around the top to ‘represent her allegiance to _The Greatest Supervillain Ever’._ She watched the group struggle with their tents and belongings before yawning. It looked like she was the first one completely finished; it wouldn’t hurt to help a little more, right?

“Hey, Boss?” 

Giovanni looked up from wrestling with his tent, rope in his mouth and one hand holding a ball of scalding hot soup, the other holding his bat. The ribbon from his tent now served a greater purpose as a hairband for a messy ponytail—a failed attempt to keep the hair out of his face while he pummeled the tent. He offered a toothy smile in the face of Molly’s hesitation. 

“...We need firewood.”

He spit out the rope, throwing the ball of soup into the forest surrounding the campsite. “Oh, yeah! Sure! Do you wanna go get some? There should be a couple trails around here. One of them’s gotta lead to the main area or somethin’ like that.”

Molly nodded, fiddling with the sleeve of her jacket. “I’ll be back in a little bit?”

Giovanni gave her a thumbs-up. “Yeah, Bear Trap! Stay safe! I can’t have any of my minions getting hurt on my watch!”

She stepped away from her tent, shaking off a loose rope from her boot, and picking a well-worn trail to follow. It couldn’t be that hard to find the main campsite. 

Right?

Molly stepped along the dirt path as the wind blew past her ears. For such a sunny day, it was awfully chilly. She pulled up her hood and fixed the bear ears so they’d stand straight. The birds squawked overhead, cawing and pecking at each other as their cries echoed into the woods. As much as Molly loved the isolation, she hadn’t seen anyone else along the path. There were hiking trails, sure, but at least _someone_ should have been out here.

After walking for several more minutes, Molly concluded she was lost. The trail wasn’t a rocky, dirty, gravel path anymore; instead consisting of a narrow, thin strip of dirt among the tall grass and roots. She glanced around and debated on whether she should turn back. After all, it didn’t seem like she’d get to the main grounds anytime soon. Nodding, Molly spun around, only to trip on a tree root and fall flat on her face.

“Ow…” Molly groaned, pushing herself up and wiping the dust off her skirt. Dirt and pebbles had lodged themselves in the scrapes on her palms, stinging as she attempted to shake them out. She was well and truly lost at this point: Her phone had been left at camp, and she spun herself around so quickly that the way _forward_ looked the same as the way _backward._ Molly looked around for a moment, blinking away the water in her eyes before sighing. It was going to take forever to get back to camp.

A twig snapped somewhere behind her, tearing a yelp from her throat. She scrambled backward as the scent of fish and iron invaded her nose. The bushes rumbled. The ground vibrated. Heavy steps stomped closer before stopping a few feet away. Something was in the forest, and it was right behind her.

The _Something_ pressed up against the back of her jacket and snuffled quietly before sneezing. Molly squeaked in return. It paused for a moment, then huffed into her ear. Molly continued squeaking.

Two bear cubs tumbled out of a nearby bush, swatting at each other and running around before the _Something_ behind her made a sound that grated on her ears. Molly paled as the cubs continued to nip at each other’s ears and faces before trotting over and rubbing up against her legs. One of them pawed at her shoe, trying to bite it when it didn’t budge. The _Something_ made a noise, a wave of rotten fish suffocating Molly. She fought the urge to gag.

Molly debated if she should start running or play dead. If the bear cubs started chasing after her, she wasn’t sure she’d want to know what would happen when the mother caught up. On the other hand, if she decided to play dead, they might decide that she’d make a perfect family dinner. She wiped her eyes with her thumb and dug her heel into the dirt. Molly would have to stand her ground and scare them off. She was too slow to run, and playing dead would get her killed. She inhaled, and turned around, tugging the hood of her jacket closer. She put on her most ferocious snarl, turning to lock eyes with a massive, hulking bear. Her determination died in her throat as it stared her down. The cubs weaved between their feet. Molly felt her heart stop as it leaned in closer, its stinking breath hot on her skin. The stench sunk deep into her nose.

Molly stifled a cry. This was it! She was going to become bear food! Her chance to have fun, and she blew it. Just because she wanted to be helpful and get firewood. Just because Giovanni took her and the boys camping. Just because _of course this would happen!_

The cubs stopped weaving between the mother-bear’s feet, and went for Molly’s knees. They headbutted her legs and made her stumble as they slammed into her shins and ankles. Satisfied, they began clawing at the legs of their mother before they turned, each one nipping or pawing at its sibling. They tumbled away, crashing into the various trees and bushes, sneezing or growling as they did.

The mother-bear took a step closer to Molly and sniffed her jacket and her face before huffing. She gagged and coughed: the bears _reeked_ , and that was being polite. It pressed its nose into Molly’s hands, then her boots, and took another step closer to her. The bear sneezed again before, gently, it gathered the jacket in its maw, and picked her up. 

Molly clamped a hand around her mouth, tucking her knees into her chest as she swung back and forth in the bear’s jaws. The cubs returned to their mother, and the family began its trek back to who-knew-where. Molly watched as they lumbered deeper into the pine trees, the brush becoming even thicker as they made their way through the forest. 

She hoped they weren’t walking far from any path she knew.

Molly watched as the family rounded a particularly thick tree trunk. Fallen trees scattered the area, covered with moss and leaves. A few rotten logs leaned against a boulder, and the cubs waltzed their way toward it. If that was their den, Molly did _not_ want to go in there. Not with the three bears, not with the tiny entrance hole, not if she was paid her weight in pure gold. She wriggled in the mother-bear’s grasp, successfully swinging herself to and fro.

“Uh, Miss Bear? Could you please let me go?” Molly’s timid voice squeaked, trailing off into a whisper. The mother-bear huffed in response, depositing her on the ground inside the entrance. It licked her hair before shuffling inside to lay with its offspring. Molly curled around herself as she watched the family step on each other to get comfortable. One of the cubs pawed at its sibling before settling into the side of their mother. The other bit the offender’s ear as it laid down. The three bears curled tightly together, oblivious to Molly as she pressed herself into the side of the boulder. 

She waited a few minutes after they stopped moving before removing herself from the boulder. The den smelled, her jacket smelled, the bears smelled, everything stank and reeked of dirty fur and unbrushed teeth. Tears welled up in her eyes—from the horrible smell or from her terror, she wasn’t sure. Molly attempted to scoot out of the den before one of the cubs flicked its ear, raising its head to look around briefly before going back to sleep. 

Molly couldn’t stay here. Even though these bears… _adopted_ her, she couldn’t stay. It was sweet, of course, for them to take her in. The part where they didn’t try to bite her head off? Extremely kind of them; she’ll treasure that moment forever. 

But the den was _disgusting._ If she didn’t get out in the next few minutes, she was going to puke all over their home. By now, Molly reasoned, Boss and the boys would be looking for her, right? She wouldn’t have to spend long here before they found her, right?

...Right?

They couldn’t leave her to get bear-napped! _Surely_ they’d at least acknowledge that she was missing! Molly bit her lip, moving into a kneeling position. She couldn’t rely on people noticing she disappeared. She’d have to get herself out of this.

“Okay…” Molly breathed, freezing in place as one of the cubs shifted, flopping its head onto its sibling. She moved to a crouch and scrunched her eyes shut. A silent bubble popped up around her, and she slowly, carefully, got onto her feet. Every twitch, every stir, every sigh or huff sent fear shooting through her veins. She felt like a deer in headlights. 

As long as they didn’t wake up, she was free. 

Molly ducked through the enterance, eyes firmly on the family of bears that could easily maul her as soon as adopt her. _Dumb_ was working great so far. She was so close to escaping, to running back to the campsite, to making sure she never got picked up by another bear as long as she lived.

Molly straightened her back, free of the disgusting smell of the den, and stepped into the forest, backing away until the cave was obscured by the trees.

She turned tail and fled, twigs and leaves crunching and snapping under her boots, bushes and birds shaking and chirping as she ran through the undergrowth. Molly stumbled, tripping on her boots before righting herself, momentum carrying her to a trail she vaguely remembered as being similar as the one she was on. The cave was long gone, but who knew how fast bears could run.

Molly shuddered as she remembered Sergeant Bear and Corporal Other Bear. Now _they_ were scary.

She ran along the strip of dirt, hoping to find the gravel path that signified a campground. Her heartbeat pounded in her ears, breath wheezy and terrified as adrenaline kept her going. The silent bubble had dissipated, dispersed as soon as she was far enough from the den. Molly kept going, pushing aside branches and thickets of undergrowth before she popped out along a small, rocky path. 

That was a start. It was at least a _trail_ , compared to the dirt she followed earlier.

She slowed to a stop, feeling the gravel crunch under her feet as she leaned over and hacked up a lung. Torn between gulping down air and coughing, it was a few minutes before she could breathe properly. Molly blinked the dust from her eyes as she looked around. The trees were more spread out compared to the bear’s den, so she guessed it was a hiking trail or a campground path. There weren’t any signs of civilization besides a bunch of stones stacked on each other. She looked to her left. Another bunch of stones were stacked on top of each other.

“I can work with that,” Molly panted. “Stones! So much easier than finding trails. Just follow the stones.”

She straightened up, and made her way over to the second stack. Walking along the path was easy, following each tower of stones to another. Molly followed the trail through a bend, finding another, albeit larger, stack of rocks. There, a few teens stood next to it, fretting over the stones until they toppled. One of them doubled over, hacking out a laugh. 

“It’s not funny, man! Boss is worried about Bear Trap! What if she’s hurt?! He always says safety is important!”

“Dude! She’s totally fine! I mean, we like, held her hostage before, right? It can’t get much worse than that!” He hacked out another laugh, slamming his palm into his thigh. Molly sighed, near crumpling as she recognized the voices. Car Crash, Flamethrower, and Crusher were all standing next to the pile of rocks. Car Crash elbowed Flamethrower’s shin, which made him crack up even more. Crusher was moving the rocks out of the way, piling them into a mess alongside the trail.

Flamethrower spun around, taking a step to move away from the other two Banzai Blasters when he spotted Molly. He stifled his laugh in her presence. “Hey, look! It’s Bear Trap! See? She’s fine! How ya doin kid? What held you up? Find a cool rock or something?” Flamethrower patted Car Crash’s head, gaining his attention.

“Bears.” Molly stated, shoulders drooping with exhaustion.

“Haha! See, man? She’s totally—wait...What?”

“Bears held me up,” Molly repeated, reaching over her shoulder and picking up her hood, which was covered in slobber. “Literally. I got picked up by a bear.”

“Aw man!” Car Crash cried, putting his face into his hands. “Boss is gonna freak out!”

Crusher took a look at her, then turned his back to Molly, gesturing for her to hop up. After running through a forest to get away from a kidnapping family of bears, who wouldn’t say no to a piggy-back ride? She clambered onto his back, and Crusher hoisted her up onto his shoulders, holding onto her legs. Molly placed her hands on his head, cushioning her own as she pressed her cheek into her knuckles. 

“Gonna go find Boss and tell him Bear Trap’s okay,” Crusher rumbled, pulling Car Crash up by the arm and walking off. Molly heard Flamethrower scramble after them, hacking out profanities and apologies. She waved him off, fighting the urge to take a nap on Crusher’s shoulders. As neat as it was to tower over everyone else for once in her life, she was…tired. Exhausted. She wanted everything to be quiet for a little bit so she could take a nap.

“ _BEAR TRAP!”_ Giovanni screeched, colliding with Crusher in his attempt to _soup_ up his speed. Molly blinked as the pink-haired supervillain screeched again. “Bear Trap! You had us worried! What if you got hurt?! My minions never get hurt on my watch! I’d be a terrible supervillain if that happened!”

Car Crash nudged Flamethrower, muttering something under his breath. The latter dissolved into another laughing fit.

“Hi, Boss!” Molly chirped wearily. “Mr. Crusher, can you let me down, please?”

Crusher picked her up off his shoulders, setting her on the ground. Giovanni knelt down, checking her hands and grimacing. “That looks like it hurts. You’ve got a bunch of dirt in those cuts ‘n’ stuff! What happened to ya, Bear Trap?”

“Bears.” Molly declared again, shaking her head as the pressure behind her eyes increased. She sniffled, and held onto the sleeve of Giovanni’s hoodie. “Bears tried to adopt me.” 

“...Let's get you back to the camp, kiddo. You can tell me what happened while we burn some marshmallows. Yeah?”

“Yeah. Okay,” she whispered. There was a beat of silence between the group as Giovanni stood back up, hunching over to allow her to hold onto his sleeve. 

“Y’know,” Molly began, scuffing her shoes along the gravel. “They really, really stank. Like, _really_ stinky. Stinkier than this kid in my class.”

Flamethrower wheezed, hacking and coughing as Crusher nudged him in the ribs.


End file.
